A Nuada Story : Bound To You
by Moon's Envoy
Summary: People didn't have to convince Rhianwen magical creatures existed, she's been trying to get away from them for years. Her already questionable success dwindled upon meeting Prince Nuada, who doesn't seem like an improvement from her other enemies. Any hope she had for a normal life was magicked away, and now her most important concern is surviving the wrath of a disgruntled Elf.
1. Out of the Frying Pan

|New York|

Rhianwen was, for as far as anyone who was observing her, not paying attention at anything in specific. Just like most New Yorkers she kept herself occupied with constantly scanning other pedestrians to see if they would somehow stray into her own trajectory. She looked uninviting, glaring at anyone who made a move to come closer to her. Not that she had much trouble doing so, having been turned down for at least the fifth time this week. 'It's not even Wednesday yet…' she thought to herself, a stubborn look pasted on her face.

For the less casual observer it would be clear that she checked places others would have deemed hardly worthy of ever looking over. Empty corners in between shops where no human being could ever sit. Her green eyes flitted above her sometimes, her mouth set in a way her mother would describe as 'prepared to chew her way through iron'. She wasn't in a good mood at all, not that it was a miracle. She had gone to her mother in hopes of getting some sort of support. Instead she had been treated to an endless cascade of questions and stories about costumers. Her mother insisted her potions had been able to cure at least three people that week alone. She should know better by now.

Not that Rhianwen had been able to say something like that out loud. Sure, the potions worked, no questions about that. They just didn't work on humans. The last time she had pointed out something like that had been around when she was fourteen. She'd been thanked with threats of another visit to a psychiatrist if she kept up her stores about seeing fae folk. And so she had decided to keep her mouth shut, and thanks to a later incident, to keep her nose out of any magical on goings. No fairies, no fae or pixies. Hell no to the trolls and ogres and other bigger accidents rolling around. Just a boring, normal life for Rhianwen. If that had been possible.

With a name like hers, getting a normal job was tough enough. One look on her papers and she could see the look her employers gave her, assuming she was some kind of hippy. As if she had been the one to choose her own name. People should know they don't give you a choice in the matter, unless you get stuck with something really inappropriate. But no judge would deem 'Rhianwen Nicolson' a name not suitable for public life, no matter what the owner thought about it. She realized she was staring at a smaller type of goblin in her anger, quickly peeling her eyes away from the little guy. Most of the time the magical tattoos on her body – henna, thank you very much, she almost fainted at the thought of needles – made sure any supernatural creature ignored her, they usually found out about her if she lingered too long.

And she was already attracting too much attention with the pixies flitting around her. For some reason the little buggers were attracted to her, and they appeared in her earliest memories. She had soon learned that her mother could not see them, and that any questions pertaining them would be met in disbelief and scorn, sometimes even anger. They weaved their way around her head, one taking a ride on her dress shoes as she walked. After she had decided she wanted nothing to do with the magical world anymore she had also decided to ignore them. This had been one decision which was not only up to her, as the pixies were confident they did not want to give up their favorite playmate.

"Rhianwen!" One of them happily buzzed in her ear. It didn't matter if she ignored them, they would never give up. Most of the time they pretended she had answered them. "Your hair is so pretty today, I couldn't help but say!" It continued, the high voice slightly squeaky in her ear. She wished they wouldn't do that, since it made other magical creatures more suspicious of her. And there were already plenty of those that wanted to have a chat with her as it was, when they found out about her. At least only the friendlier races lived among people, hidden with their glamour.

So it would be compliments today. She could ignore them for months, but as soon as she had answered them only once it would send them in a partying mood. The problem was that they were often the only company she had. Seeing things that nobody else could see turned most people into something of an outsider, and she had not been different. Add to that a mother who would turn up at the school gates in airy dresses, mumbling about the position of the stars and you had the perfect recipe for a social recluse. So she had often been tempted to talk back to them. People could only be expected to keep their mouths shut for so long, and she did owe the little ones some favors since they had been the reason she had never been truly alone. Other days she would be more inclined to remember that they were the reason she never had the company of other humans.

She bit her tongue, determined not to answer today. She would not be seen talking to the air today, and she would not be entertaining the pixies no matter how hard they tugged on her curly hair. Not in the mood she was in today. She had just gotten back from another job interview, and once again she had been met by that pitying look when they had seen her name. It wasn't her fault her mother had turned to the ancient myths in search for a name of her only child. Not that it mattered to the employers. No matter how good her credentials were, she always got the answer that they didn't need someone just at that moment. Who had ever heard of an accountant named Rhianwen by the way? The idea was ludicrous, and they didn't need to say it out loud for her to know what they were thinking. Assholes.

She turned into the subway, feeling how the pixies were hanging on to her dark brown curls, making it seem as if her hair were fluttering in the breeze. Luckily most people didn't seem to catch on her hair had a tendency of doing that when there wasn't a breeze either, or things could have gotten awkward. She had managed to avoid the psychiatric ward when she had been younger, and slipping up now would only make things extremely annoying. She didn't think her mother had tossed out doctor Slopenhauser's phone card away yet, despite how 'good' she had been lately.

She ignored some of the real crazies down there, including one man who was talking to the air. She was confident there was in fact nothing there, since the closest by veiled magical creature was a Leprechaun with an exceedingly sour look on his face. The look brightened considerably when the pixies called out for him to pay attention to her shoes.

Rhianwen did her utmost best to ignore the fact that she was aware of the Leprechaun cleaning up her shoes. 'I am not aware of the Leprechaun.' She reminded herself, almost desperate. 'I can't see him, I can't feel him and I am certainly not going to acknowledge the fact that the pixies think I don't take proper care of my shoes.' Was a normal life so much to ask for?  
She glanced down once, looking straight into the brilliant green eyes of the fae, before jerking her head back up again.

"Hey there missy. You can see me right, can you?" Rhianwen fought to keep her mouth from dropping open. Not because he was talking to her, but because that was a Texan accent coming from his mouth. Well, there went one stereotype.

She nodded, not wanting to talk, even if there was hardly anyone in this specific car. Apart from a drunk passed out in a corner she and the Leprechaun were alone. Not that it mattered, she didn't want to get caught on some random security tape, talking to air!

"Well, y'all-" it was clear he was referring to the pixies as well, which were currently collaborating in getting a side braid in her hair. "- should be watching out. Word on the street is there's something dangerous out around here, though it mostly comes out at night." He spat on Rhianwen's shoe, making the woman flinch inwardly. Of course he would be cleaning her shoes like that, and of course she couldn't show any sign of reluctance to having her shoes spit-shined. It was either that or find herself drowning in bad luck for a week.

"Thanks…" she whispered, barely moving her mouth. Well, there it was. Only Wednesday, and only one day where she hadn't talked to something other, normal, people couldn't see. Maybe next week would be better for her.

The Leprechaun lifted one of her feet, inspecting her soles. "The name's Ted, missy. Now I see you're quite a walker, judging from the damage on these puppies. How about ya drop by my store next week. I'll fix 'em up for free, since you and the pixies seem to be getting around so great." He saw her furtive glance at the camera. "Don't worry about the camera, you're in my glamour shield at the moment."

Rhianwen let her shoulders drop a little bit, not aware of how tense she had been. "Look, Ted, you have the wrong idea here. Me and the pixies, there's nothing special going on between us."  
One of the pixies pressed a tiny kiss on her cheek, sending a faint blush across Rhianwen's cheeks before it turned to Ted.

"Don't mind Rhianwen, she's just being shy. I bet she would love to stop by." Oh, how she would love it if just one day could be plain boring. Or a day without rhyming, that would be lovely as well. But considering it was either that or their own language, she still preferred the rhyming. Having grown up with the pixies chattering at her, she still had a rudimentary grip on a language nobody else around her understood. She still remembered how weird people had looked at her when she'd replied out loud to a pixie.

She smiled grimly at the Leprechaun, trying to seem both friendly and off-putting at the same time. It wasn't like she enjoyed being a grouch, it was just that she had the choice between being rude or getting her humble flat swamped in mythical creatures. "Look… Ted. I appreciate the offer, but I really shouldn't. Thanks for shining the shoes though. And the warning."

Ted waggled his bushy eyebrows at her, giving a flick with his red coat. "Whatever you say, missy. Just remember, come to 'Tioboid', that's the shoe shop right next to the stop I'm getting off."

Rhianwen let out a sigh of relief when the Leprechaun left. Today was one of the days where she would be attracting more supernatural creatures, she could already tell. If only the pixies weren't so intent on making her presence so noticeable for everyone. The one that had talked to Ted – Lenore?- floated in front of her face, bringing down her dainty teeth to Rhianwen's nose.

"Ouch!" she cried out, resisting the urge to slap the pixie across the car. "What?" she whispered almost violently, rubbing her nose.

The pixie had already started hiding in Rhianwen's hair, huddling there with the others. There were five of them in total, she realized, judging from all the cold feel pressing against her back through her shirt. They'd actually half-way buried themselves through her coat.

"There's a darkness here." Lenore said softly, her voice quivering like a silver bell caught in the wind. "It makes my heart beat in fear!" Tiny hands grabbed strands of dark auburn hair, a chorus of scared voices sounding from underneath Rhianwen's coat.

Rhianwen looked around the subway car, trying to see what it was that had the usually brave pixies so scared. There was only one tangible darkness she remembered from her youth, but that couldn't possibly be it. Then her eyes landed on it. A dark spot in the shadows, hardly noticeable when one didn't know how to look for it. Like black ink dropped in the night sky, it quivered there.

She swallowed, once. This was not good, not good at all. She remembered the shadows from her childhood, and they were never up to any good. The pixies liked playing pranks, but the shadows were intent on worse things that simple setting someone's hair on fire. Her heart started to beat faster as she realized why she had been the only one in here, safe a passed out drunk. The shadows could have been the ones keeping out other mortals. That meant they had learned how to recognize her. 'Fantastic.' She thought to herself with so much sarcasm it could have dripped on the ground. 'Just bleeding fantastic.'

For now the shadow stayed put, only quivering every once in a while as it tasted the air. She could feel the pixies shivering as she slowly, so very slowly, walked towards the exit. Only a few more seconds until she could get off. It didn't matter that this wasn't her stop, all that mattered was getting off and running away as fast as she could. Behind her the shadow drooped – there was no better word for that action – from lighter shadow to lighter shadow, as if it tried to sneak up to her.

'Deep breaths, Rhianwen.' She reminded herself gently. It wouldn't be the first time she had outrun something that could have meant trouble. What if she couldn't outrun it? She pushed that thought down violently, not allowing herself the luxury of fear or doubt. Blood rushed to her ears as she watched the platform zoom in front of her. She got out, hurriedly clutching her purse against her. Would clobbering a shadow with it help anything?

She almost let out a moan when the lights started to flicker. Of course the lights would start to flicker as if this was some sort of cheesy horror flick. Not that she needed to be introduced to the monster, the shadows had been following her for quite some time. When she saw a tall man, with brown hair to his shoulders near the stairs she let out a sigh of relief. They would never attack her in the open.

"Sir?" she called out, hoping that if this behavior made her stand out like some weirdo she would at least seem like the benign sort of weirdo. She stopped walking towards him when he turned.

His eyes were completely black, smoky grey drawing across them as he reached out a hand towards her. She stumbled back, bumping into the man that had been passed out in the same car as her a few seconds ago. His eyes were in the same condition. "You've picked up some new tricks…" she mumbled, her tongue feeling uncomfortably thick in her mouth. "I'm not a fan." She admitted, taking a few steps away from the men. They moved slowly, as if the shadows hadn't completely figured out how to control a body yet. She wasn't planning on sticking around to wait until they learned.

"Guys, think you could give me a hand here?" she asked the pixies, continuing her steps back.

Of course Lenore was the first to take action, grabbing one of the human's bangs to lead her towards the tracks. "Careful not to get burned." The flying creature warned. "That's a lesson only the shadows have earned." She was of course referring to the fact Rhianwen could get a nasty shock if she placed her foot on the wrong track.

Thankful she wasn't wearing any high heels she started to run. She couldn't hear a new subway train yet, but that was only a matter of time. But as long as she stayed on the concrete walkways she would be safe, right? That was what they were there for, at least she guessed so. Who would have known knowledge about this place would come in handy some day?

"Rhianwen, it's this way! Hurry!" That was one of the male pixies, who grabbed a strand of hair on her left to make her turn. The lack of rhyme was one clue he was distressed more than usual.

"Are they still behind us?" Rhianwen asked. To hell with not talking to the pixies, right now they only had each other. And if they got out of this without being caught by the shadows she'd give them anything they asked for.

Lenore had gone a way ahead, her voice carrying surprisingly far throughout the corridor. "There is a safe place here, so let's disappear!"

Rhianwen wanted to let out a pitying moan at the rhyme, ignoring the three younger pixies still holding on to her hair. Lenore had taken a right turn, so she did the same, not expecting anything to stand in her way.

With an 'oomph' she fell on her backside, looking up at what she had bumped into. Only it wasn't a what, but rather a who. A tall, very pale and not very friendly looking who, who seemed to stroke a weapon by his side with his thumb. When his hand closed around the weapon, she swallowed loudly. This was one of those 'out of the frying pan' situations, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Hi?" she tried, hoping the stranger wouldn't be in a bad mood.

He lifted the silver weapon, preparing to strike. Her brain was so kind as to finish her thought for her. 'And into the fire.'

* * *

|Moon's Note : And I started another fic. As usual, I'll eventually finish this story though the speed may vary. This is my first fic for something that was originally a non-Japanese comic book series, so if anyone wants to tell me how it was up until this point, please feel free. I welcome all constructive criticism.

Other than that, I hope you have a nice day, and a lot of nice stories to read!|


	2. Into the Fire

|The Sewers|

Nuada had just barely managed to stop his spear from piercing through shaking flesh.

He had been out for a simple walk, a way to release the tension in his muscles after his training of the day. The simple pleasure – for so far one could call walking in the filth of the sewers pleasure – had been disrupted when a small pixie had flown up to him in an agitated state. The little thing bowed quickly in front of him, muttering a greeting before she turned to the corridor that was shielded from his vision. "There is a safe place here, so let's disappear!"

That was enough for him to realize that the pixies were being followed by someone. Judging from the sound of shoes tapping on the concrete it was a female, and if his other senses were correct it was a human. Of course it would be, what other fool would find joy in chasing a pixie?

The impact caused the air to escape the woman's lungs, and left him feeling tainted. She landed on her backside, eyes wide at the sudden interruption of her sport. He traced his spear with a thumb, noting how her eyes landed on it. Pale green eyes swooped up to his face and he could see how her little brain was trying to figure out how she was supposed to react to him. "Hi?"

A quiver in her voice, nails scratching at the hard underground beneath her, her entire body language betrayed her fear for him. Weak, petty and disgusting, she would find some suitable punishment for harassing the tiny fae that flit about. He would make it quick, a mercy she didn't deserve, but he had no time to waste on something as useless as torture. For a reason unknown to him his eyes refused to focus on her, at times darting away while he intended to keep her pinned down with just his gaze.

"No, do not harm her!" The youngest of the pixies screamed, while the lot of them flew to protect her heart from his spear. "I beg of thee, sir!"

Nuada just barely managed to stay his spear before piercing the tiny bodies protecting the human from her death blow. What was going on? Pixies were in general quite tolerant when it came to humans, but only for so long as they were amusing. And they were certainly not opposed to bloodshed, some of them viewing it as the highest form of comedy. So why?

The pixie from before flew in his field of vision, folding her hands in front of her as if she were begging for the life of her kin. "My prince, please forgive us for intruding in your territory." She started out, bowing once again to placate him. He retracted his spear, casting one more glance on the human, which he had to fight to keep in the same spot. She was glaring back at him, but stayed put for the moment. "We would not have done so if we were not followed by an enemy who is after our dear friend." At least she was speaking something different from that wretched human tongue some fae had adapted as easier.

"You owe me no apology, little one." He said, before he glanced to the human. "If you are being followed by an enemy you are welcome in my wards. But as for your… companion…" he muttered the last part, his eyes once again drawn to the member of that hated species.

The woman narrowed her eyes at him, the corner of her mouth pulling in such a way that he would have stricken her down if it hadn't been for the little ones still protecting her. She raised her chin, sending a very clear message. She might be afraid of him, but she certainly did not want to surrender without a fight. "Lenore, must we remain here? The shadows can be here any moment while you chat with this grouch."

This nearly sent the pixies in an apoplexy, hushing her from all sides at once.  
"This is prince Nuada-"  
"- do well to check your tongue dearest –"  
"- please behave while we are –"

With every word they pixies said she started to look more and more out of sorts. She shook her head, getting up from the floor as she placed her hands in her hips. "What does this have to do with us? Let's be on our way. I will not remain in the presence of someone who was intent of turning me into a shish kebob."

She was ignoring him. The cur had the guts to ignore him, going so far as actually almost turning her back on him. The pixie that had been identified as Lenore immediately fell into more bows, taking the word while the human argued with the others. "Please forgive Rhianwen, your highness. I fear she has been having a bad day, and she is quick to take it out on others."

He could almost read the silent reproach in the flying creature's eyes that he was also partly responsible by having drawing a weapon on her. "But if you would lend us quick shelter, for only a little while, you would be doing us a favor we will not forget."

He heard the woman being informed about the wards that would throw 'the shadows' of their trail. Amber eyes focused back on the pixie with the blue flower tattooed on her cheek. "Why are you with that creature?"

Tiny eyes frowned when the prince addressed the human as such. "_Rhianwen_ is not only a dear personal friend, but we are also under orders to protect her." Lenore allowed, waving a hand towards the human who still looked as if she was ready to bite off a piece of his spear should he bring it near her. "I would not ask this of you, prince Nuada, but we can not keep the shadows at bay when they are possessing another body. We would be helpless, and the task entrusted to us would be jeopardized. We will do anything to fulfill it, even sacrifice ourselves. Do it not for her, but for us."

Once again he had to fight to keep his eyes on her form. It was almost as if there was something trying to shield her from fae eyes. "You want me to accept this… _mongrel_ in my home?" During his exile that was what one could call the spot he had taken for himself in the sewers. And they wanted to take that loud-mouthed wench in there?

The pixie stretched out a hand towards him, eyes pleading. "Only until she walks out herself again, your highness! And she will not learn the route towards it, I promise. Until then, please see she comes to no harm."

Nuada glanced down at the out-stretched hand. He had no reason to suspect one of the unseen folk would have a reason to trick him, but these were pixies he was dealing with. If they suspected they could get a laugh out of something they wouldn't think twice. But if he could not trust those who he was trying to protect…  
Gritting his teeth slightly he held out his hand, feeling the pixie touch his index finger slightly. He was surprised to find her touch so warm.

"She will not be able to find her way back. If she returns I may kill her without your interference." He said, loud enough to be heard by the mortal.

Green eyes, pale like glass, landed on him without so much as a bit of hesitation. "We are not staying with him." She announced. "I refuse, if you like you may but I-"  
She was cut off from her objections by a cloud of pixie dust. It worked as good as knocking her out cold like a sledgehammer would have done, with much of the same aftereffects when she would wake up.

So the pixies intended on making her find refuge even if the mortal had no inclination for it herself. An interesting bit of information, though the thought he had agreed to this nearly made him gag. Lenore flew back to him, the look on her face immediately alerting him he would not like the next request. "Would the prince be so kind as to help transport her?"

As he had guessed, he had no inclination of agreeing immediately, nor would thinking it over make him change his mind. If they left her lying here, perhaps he would be lucky and another, hungrier, creature would pass by. The group of five now floated around him, looking with expectant, big eyes. He had to admit that even if they used magic, they would probably be out cold by the time they reached his refuge.

With what he hoped was a stoic expression he bent over in order to grab her by the collar. If the pixies had hoped he would be carrying her in a more agreeable way they would be sorely surprised at this moment. If they took the trouble of looking at his eyes they would find promise of bloody murder if anything did not go as had been agreed.

|Rhianwen|

Wow… that felt like a serious hangover. Frowning seemed to make it feel worse, so she attempted to relax her face. A high-pitched voice like a silver bell was repeating her name over and over, tiny hands patting her cheeks. "Five… five more minutes." She managed to slur out. She couldn't remember having been drinking, but what else could have made her feel so horribly?

"Ah!" she cried out, sharp teeth biting down on her nose again. She opened up her eyes with a start, scrambling up in confusion. "Lenore, what was that for?" she asked, rubbing the sore spot.

The green-clad critter flew up in front of her, arms clasped over one another. "It takes forever to wake you if we don't have the black brew."

"You dusted me!" Rhianwen realized, indignation heavy in her voice. "I wasn't even through talking and you just knocked me out cold. You little mosquito!" She looked around her, limbs not wishing to agree to any signals she was sending. Her legs were wobbly, and when she looked down she could see something had ruined her nylon stockings. What had happened to her?

She tried to look at her backside, seeing dirt streaks over the pencil skirt she had worn for the interview and all over the lower side of her white shirt. What the actual hell? She asked Lenore for an explanation. "Prince Nuada has done you the extreme honor of dragging you here."

Rhianwen let out an incredulous cough at that choice of words, before she scanned around her to see where said stab-happy elf was residing. The room was half-circular, water dripping from the ceiling a bit ahead of her. To her left there was a fancy mural, fire burning and something that looked conspicuously like a potion set. On a platform she spotted the elven prince, looking down at her with a look that she could recognize from earlier years. Distrust, hate and a generous helping of loathing. Yet she didn't remember having merited the sentiments, then or now. In an instinctive response to those amber eyes looking down she raised her chin, attempting to stand up as straight as possible.

Almost as if he wanted to rival her the elf straightened his back, setting her mouth back into the iron position. Two of the pixies were hovering around the prince, the other two nowhere to be seen. "Is there a reason you wanted me to be in the same room as him?" she asked. Normally she was a bit more polite when dealing with others, be they fae or human, but others usually didn't try to stab her just for saying hello. She thought she could be excused for her rudeness.

"Well…" Lenore started, looking as she wasn't quite sure what she could or could not say. "We wanted to keep you safe from the shadows, so we brought you here. Prince Nuada has excellent wards against evil around his home, alerting him should anything try to approach him with hostile intent."

The way Rhianwen was glaring at him, she hoped alarm bells were buzzing all over the place. Maybe he would end up with a headache that felt like a troll had hit him as well. Would serve him right.

"There is no danger outside, so you might as well leave now." he announced from his vantage point. He had switched the lance for a sword at his side, hand holding the handle in a death grip.

Rhianwen studied him for a moment more, surprised the henna tattoos on her body weren't making her almost invisible for him. The leprechaun had only been able to see her because first the pixies had drawn his attention and then because he had been touching her shoes all the while. Dark amber eyes glared at her, as dark lips were pulled in what was obvious an attempt from biting someone's nose off.

"As you wish." She replied, fighting to keep herself from adding an insult to the reply. If there was a thing like hatred at first sight the elf had certainly gotten a rather bad case from it. What was it that made him dislike her so? With a grimace she turned around, relieved that he had left her lying at the entrance. It saved her the effort of walking across the room while her legs refused to co-operate. She had no intention of sharing breathing space with someone who made clear with every gesture that if she would drop dead, he would accept it as a minor gift.

Lenore attempted to stop her from walking towards one of the exits. "Rhianwen, please think about this again."

With a very unlady-like snort Rhianwen kept moving, trying to ignore the plethora of cuts on the back of her legs. That uncouth elf had not even bothered to try and take a gentle route, judging from the aching she felt. She turned her head slightly when Lenore once again called her name, pleading.

It was that gesture that stopped her from getting a bloody nose on top of the other indignities. Sadly enough she hadn't been prepared for a barrier placed in her way, making her bump into it in a comical fashion. The impact rattled her body, increasing the headache that had no intention of vacating the premises quite so soon.

Stumbling back she looked at the exit. There was nothing obstructing her, at least not visibly. And yet she recognized the sensation from when she had been younger and attempting to sneak out of her house. A pixie ward.

"Lenore!" she snarled, turning on her heels. The pixie was flying to the other side of the room, where a corridor past a stream of water ran. Hoping for another possible exit Rhianwen hastened to the other side of the room, only tripping over her own feet twice. She ignored the pulling of scratches closing up on the back of her legs easier than she ignored the feeling of a pale elf mentally throwing daggers at her.

The pixie stopped flying, looking a tad worried about the situation. "Rhianwen, please listen to my explanation. We are only acting according to your station."

She reached out a hand – noting a few scratches there as well – only to find it stopped by the barrier. It flared up a violent pale green and blue as she touched it, causing her to frown. "Better start explaining now, because I have a feeling I'm not the only one that's wondering why I'm still in here."

Her eyes drew towards a staircase running up, lit by torches. To get there, she would have to pass Nuada, who had already made one attempt at killing her. How long until he would be trying again?

Rhianwen was good at running away, even if others would consider it a cowardly action. She ran, only fighting when she was being driven in a corner. Every bit of self-preservation she had was shouting not to get close to the ivory elf. "I'm just going to take the stairs." She announced out loud, moving in a way that suggested she did not want to get close to him at all. The darkness of his mouth and eyes made him look more than a bit unnerving.

"What is taking you so long? Are you so inept you cannot even exit?" he lashed out at her.

Deep breaths. She just had to get away from here. "Sometimes finding the right exit can be a bit harder than one might think." She replied, stepping up the stairs. If glares could kill they had been cleaning up at least one corpse right now. The hostility in the air sent chills all the way up and down her spine. She put a hand to where Lenore had flittered up, once again repelled by the ward.

No matter how much the prince wanted her to up and leave, even he could not pretend to not have seen the way she was unable to get out of here. Though he did give off the vibe of throwing her at the ward and see what that would do. "Lenore, start talking. Now."

Nuada was stepping closer, causing Lenore to act as a miniature buffer between the two larger creatures. "The terms we agreed to were very clear, you are not to be harmed when you are here. The shadows cannot enter the prince's sanctuary, so danger will not render us weary."

Rhianwen saw how the pale elf considered the words and seemed to realize what had happened. "The agreement… as long as this cur does not walk out on her own feet…"

The mortal nearly felt the floor beneath her drop away. The pixies thought she would be safer cooped up in this place, with the stab-happy prince. Already the grip around his sword was intensifying, though his fingers could not get much paler. "This is a joke." She mumbled, looking back and forth between the two myths. "You are not serious."

Sadly enough for the mortal things were looking deadly serious.

* * *

|Moon's Note : Gah, Nuada is a tough one to write. He is the hardest character I have had to write up until now, and I've written about a demon falling for an angel so aaah.

If I ever go out of character with him (heavens forbid) or something else happens that seems OOC with anybody, let me know. Don't let the train wreck evolve. If someone wants to beta, you may be my guest (storyline, grammar, spelling, take your pick).

Charmcaster5 : You are too kind for me, making me blush and everything! Though I am happy to hear you have been enjoying my other stories, that always means a lot for me. I love LOTR and the Labyrinth too! David Bowie made one hell of a goblin king, right? And yes, Nuada is pretty suitable as a movie crush ^^

CrazyNorwegian : thank you so much for the kind words! I'm always happy if someone takes a liking to one of my OC's, especially so early on. I really do hope she won't disappoint.


	3. Not Real

|Rhianwen|

There is something about looking into someone's eyes and seeing yourself reflected in them that can sometimes grant people a bit of perspective about themselves. Rhianwen had in her younger years, thanks to a temper that was very close to the surface and a zero-tolerance for bullies, more than once gotten the chance to examine herself in someone else's eyes. She had more than once looked into the eyes who used to think that the whole 'I can see pixies and fairies' was fairly cute and then thought she was overdoing it. Then there were the eyes of the pixies themselves, and she wasn't even sure what to make of their thoughts other than that they were supposed to stay near her.

So when she looked into the dark amber eyes of what was quite obviously an Elf she would have hoped to be cut some slack for once. The only thing she had directly said to the guy was 'hi' and that had nearly earned her a lance straight in the heart. So the only perspective the pale prince was giving her about herself was that she would probably be better off dead, and that every breath she took was a personal offence to him. In a reflex she straightened her shoulders, happy she was higher on the steps so she could look down on him a little bit. Damn guy just had to be a head taller than she was, huh?

"Just so you know, you're not real." She informed him, grabbing back to the survival skills she had learned in earlier years. If she just continued to ignore him, eventually he would stop staring at her like he would very much like to do some unspeakable acts of violence towards her. Even now he seemed to be having a hard time keeping his eyes trained on her, thanks to the henna tattoos hidden underneath her shirt.

The announcement seemed to shake him off balance just a tiny bit, enough for her to stomp past him down the stairs. She wanted to be close to one of the exits, preferable the one they had come through. He didn't run after her, he didn't yell at her. All he did was talk with Lenore in that unrecognizable gibberish that she didn't understand. Two could play at that game. She doubted the prince understood an inkling of Pixie, and it would mean she would be rid of that infernal rhyming. Before she could get far Lenore stopped her for a moment, speaking in Pixie. "Rhianwen, if you would please just stop a moment, I would like to introduce your host to you."

Rhianwen folded her arms over one another, flipping back her curly locks. "I have no interest in being introduced to some spasm of my imagination, as you might well remember, Lenore." She growled back. Oh, if only she could stop seeing what she saw. If only she had been born in a normal household and not raised by a woman who was still stuck in a permanent hippie phase. "If anything, just let me out of here, before he finds a way to get around his promise to you."

Lenore ignored her pleas, instead once again floating between the two of them. She made a dainty little boy to the Elf, her wispy brownish hair sweeping in the air as she did so. "Prince Nuada, I would like to introduce to you Rhianwen Nicolson, our protégé who is also known as the Unbending One." After that the pixie added a few more words in gibberish, making the Elf look at her again, though no more amused.  
Rhianwen slightly raised her eyes at that title, before lifting the corner of her mouth in a slight smile. It was true that she had never bowed to anyone, but that was because a certain pixie had constantly told her she should never be subservient to anyone. "Rhianwen, this is his Royal Highness, Prince Nuada, Silverlance and son of King Balor of Bethmoora." In a hushed whisper the pixie continued. "Though he has many more titles, I would rather not continue much." It was visible on Lenore's face that she dared not make a rhyme on Bethmoora. "Please be somewhat gracious to him, if only so that he does not feel even more poorly about you."

Rhianwen frowned when she heard that. After all, she still considered herself to be entirely innocent. "Well then… sir." She started, very uncomfortable with the way he was staring her down. "I am sorry for inconveniencing you." She was more sorry to be temporarily locked in the sewers with him, but she didn't want to know if anger could make a fae break a promise. "I will start working at present on a way to get out of your hair." She resisted the urge to remind him he was a figment of her imagination.

She plopped herself down in front of the entrance, careful not to sit in the water. After a moment of consideration she got rid of the ripped nylon stockings, deciding they would be doing her more harm than good if she managed to get out of here. No, she would get out of here. When pixie magic was involved there was often a trick to it, a little something that would make them chuckle while you made your escape. So she sat down, forcing herself to focus on the ward that she knew was there.

The feeling always started as a sort of pop located right between her eyes, where the so-called third eye was supposed to be. Then she would start to feel warm and cold at the same time, until the shivers would be running down her spine. Once she felt as if the world was spinning she would be able to see the ward. The only bad thing about the entire operation was that she was forced to recognize that the pixies were real and that they were able to force her to do things.

She could still hear the prince talk to the pixie. She knew they were talking about her, and she did not like it one bit. Prince. Royal Highness. Pah. Like she needed that kind of person in her life. He could be the president for all she cared and she would still be walking the other way. What she wanted was a nice, quiet life, without constantly having to worry about being chased.

She looked at the ward, with its color that constantly swirled in between electric blue and deep green. That was a first for her. Usually the wards were always static, but this one almost felt alive. When she looked behind her she could see the other two shields were in much the same state. So the shadows weren't the only ones who had been learning new tricks. When heavy footsteps sounded from the corridor in front of her she returned her attention to there, not liking where this was going.

|Nuada|

It was bad enough he had to allow the wretch to stay in his own home for a few hours, now he had to suffer an introduction to her. The Unbending One, what a preposterous title. What the pixie confided to him after that was even more of a surprise, and one that left a sorely bad taste in his mouth. Champion to the Pixies? Was this Lenore serious about that? Yet there was no trace of doubt when she said it, only a sort of having resigned herself to this fate. When he was introduced to the human she showed no sign of being impressed at being in his presence. If anything the way her jaw clenched made her seem more prepared to bite him should he as much as stick a finger out at her.

Unbending One indeed. Somebody ought to put her in her place, but he had a feeling that anything he would do to that end would be viewed as harm, and he had promised none would befall her while she remained her. At least she herself seemed to be as eager to be gone from here as he was to have her someplace far away. Lenore once again addressed him in the old tongue, far more pleasing to his ears than that savage language the cur employed.

"I am very sorry for having to deceive you, prince Nuada." The pixie said, the flower tattoo on her cheek moving about as if she was chewing her tongue while speaking. "But we have waited for too long. Only a few more months and everything will be in order for Rhianwen and ourselves. Though we will have to inform her as well." Lenore had an air of almost sadness about her when she looked down at the mortal who had dumped herself so unceremoniously in front of the exit, staring as if she would be able to see the wards. Now that she had removed those stockings he could see dark tattoos swirling about her legs, explaining why he had such a hard time keeping an eye on her.

Lenore followed his gaze, seemingly growing a bit more serious. It was a rare occasion seeing a pixie that was not enjoying every second of another person's frustrations. "Rhianwen has always been a tough character, though we have Pip to blame for most of that." Now there was a name he did recognize. As a prince Nuada had spent a lot of time learning who was in charge of what race, and even now it often paid to at least know a few of the most important fae of every race. Pip was the name of the grandson of the mater familias of the pixies, and most likely to come to the throne since his mother had suffered serious iron poisoning just a short twenty-odd years ago.

"Pip is the one who is responsible for all of this." Lenore explained, folding her tiny legs underneath her as she spoke. She was perhaps as tall as Nuada's hand if she stretched a bit. "And he refuses to tell anyone what's going on until the time is right, according to him." The pixie started to wring her hands, more talking to herself than to Nuada. "Oh, if I ever get my hands on Pip. He fell in love ten years ago and left me in charge of taking care of the girl, but then she started to deny our existence. It' s a good thing she's too kind to actually keep it up, but this is all Pip's fault."

"You are telling me that this… human is important to you?" Nuada finally managed to bring out. All he had seen so far was a woman who was scared out of her wits while she at the same time tried to look brave. And what was with her looking hostile at him? She was the one at fault.

Lenore started to nod. "I sent out the others to start spreading word amongst us. We need Pip to return soon so he can explain everything. Rhianwen will start to ask questions again and even though she knows I can't lie when I say I don't know what's going on, it's still so hard for us all." Lenore nodded to herself, looking at Rhianwen with was too much of an adoring look for Nuada's taste. "It's sad, because Rhianwen wants to live a normal life. But we just want to stay with her. She's not like other humans, you know."

Nuada felt his mouth contort as he felt something wring in his stomach. How she had succeeded in fooling the pixies, that was what he wanted to know. "You are speaking nonsense, little one. The humans were born with a hole in their hearts, and nothing will be-"

"Rhianwen is different." Lenore told him stubbornly. "She does have a hole in her heart, but the thing that could fill it up is something that everything should be able to have. If only she would stop denying us, and give in to what she can see and sense. She would be so much happier."

That was the moment they saw the human scrambling to her legs.

|Rhianwen|

There had been one lesson Pip had repeated to her time and again when she had been younger and still happy to see the fae. The words were burned into her skull as much as the reflex to straighten up when someone tried to boss her around. 'If it looks like it will kill you, run. Playing the hero only gets you killed.' The advice was sound enough, even though the concept had been hard for a four-year old to understand until Pip had riled up a fox burrow in the park to teach her the concept of fear.

The sound of heavy footsteps continued, and before long she could see a figure emerging from the corridor, moving through the barrier as if he did not note its existence. Rhianwen froze, not wishing to alert what looked very much like a cave troll to her presence. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying that the tattoos would keep her hidden from him. Only really, really powerful creatures with their own sort of magic could see through them, according to the pixies. Then again, she'd seen them delight in someone being chased by an angry German Shepard after the wood elf had just purchased a 'stay safe' spell from another one of their kind.

The more one learned about pixie pranks, the lest trusting that person tended to get.

Luckily for Rhianwen trolls were fairly low on the powerful magic scale. Less lucky for her was their keenly developed sense of smell that allowed them to find prey no matter how well-hidden. And thanks to the running and being scared out of her mind Rhianwen was giving off an unhealthy whiff of easy prey.

She knew something was wrong when the troll paused in his steps, tilting his head as he took a deep breath. His one eye immediately shot to where she was sitting, causing her to scramble up as fast as she could. The action caused sound, and the sound alerted the hunter that there was indeed something there. Something that smelled of human, of very scared human. And Prince Nuada was not very fond of humans.

Before she had taken more than five steps something metallic cold had knocked her on the floor. Grating over the cold, wet stone Rhianwen found herself being dragged towards the troll. She kicked her free leg, screaming her lunges out as she was being dragged to something she had immediately pegged as instant doom. Pip's following advice had been less useful. 'If it does catch you, try to look hard to digest. Or just don't get caught in the first place.' Some days she really did wonder why they had let Pip be in charge of her. At least he'd known a good apple pie recipe.

"Let go of me!" she tried to yell, the action only slightly impeded by the fact that the troll had yanked her up by the leg, the metal fist safely attached to his arm once again. He lifted her, looking at her with the kind of mind that seemed almost sorry it would have to squish her. Almost, but almost never saved anybody. She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to degrade herself by yelling for help that would never come. Not from that Nuada guy anyway. Odds were he would offer the troll to fillet her and cook her up in some white wine sauce.

Of course he had to prove her wrong by saying something to the troll, who lowered her until her head almost touched the ground. The troll let go of her leg, only slightly hurting her when her bottom came into not so gentle contact with sweet ground. She remained there lying, looking up at the troll who had nearly done her in. Never bowing was one thing, but her knees were so weak right now she would only make a fool of herself by trying to stand up. "Thank you." she managed to say, just throwing the words out in the air. If Nuada wanted the thanks, he was welcome to them.

"If you had eaten this one, my friend, you would have had a sore stomach for weeks to come. Far too cantankerous to go down easily." The Prince announced, walking down the steps at an easy pace, letting Lenore have the honors of checking on the human. The pixie hurriedly started to speak to Rhianwen, so rapid it sounded like a silver bell caught in a tropical storm.

"Oh, you didn't get eaten, I'm so happy. If there had been a funeral, it would have been so sappy." The notion made Rhianwen frown.

"If I had gotten eaten, I doubt there would have been a funeral. And stop with the rhyming, it's so crappy." She winced when she heard herself speak. Of course this would just happen today. She blew out a huff of air. "Today, I have gotten chased by shadows, nearly pierced by a lance and almost gotten eaten. What exactly made you think making me take refuge here was such a good idea?"

Lenore fluttered up as Rhianwen managed to bring herself up to a sitting position. Her wings were nearly visible as she furiously tried to seem like someone who knew what she was doing. "Mister Wink was only being a good attendant, which means also working as the Prince's defendant. And as long as you are in danger we will not go near any stranger."

Rhianwen let her eyes glide over the pale prince who only just managed to hide his contempt for her. Or he was just really unhappy letting her get eaten meant letting harm come to her while she was in here. Apart from the 'I despise you' vibe he was sending out he was nigh impossible to read. She let her eyes roll to the ceiling, attempting very hard to pretend she was just having a bad dream.

Next time she would be taking the bus home.

* * *

Moon : Well, that concludes Rhianwen's first day - somewhat - in Nuada's home. And she's not dead yet! Though we mostly have the pixies to thank for that.

Charmcaster5 : Thanks once again for your kind words ^^ Sadly, Nuada being quite anti-human it will take a while for him to accept her... Oh well, nothing a few life-endangering situations won't be able to change!

... I should not be allowed near fictional characters...


	4. Stuck With You

|The Next Day|

Rhianwen frowned as she regained consciousness, temporarily confused as to why her bed was so hard and unyielding to her body. Sure she lived in a really cheap apartment, but that didn't mean her bed had to be this inhumane. Her eyes still closed she felt her heart sink into her chest when she remembered where she was. The sewers. Though not quite as smelly as they could have been, there were memories that told her she would have gladly put up with the smell if certain factors could be changed.

She took a deep breath through her mouth, calming herself down. Prince Stabhappy clearly wasn't the type of guy that could be approached with a hot head. Not that he would be very much into diplomacy, since for some reason he had decided that her being alive was a grave personal insult. Ass.  
With a sigh she realized she'd already gotten worked up to such an extent that even the vague idea of lying down a little longer seemed ludicrous. Which would not be a problem if she was sleeping alone.

Opening her eyes slowly Rhianwen had her suspicions confirmed when she saw – and felt – the weight of several pixies sleeping on top of her, little feet ice cold wherever they brushed bare skin. Tiny snores and sighs sounded whenever one of the winged creatures stirred, completely content with sleeping on top of their human-sized friend. Rhianwen let out her breath as evenly as she could, trying not to wake them up too soon. Having them asleep was about the only time she had any thinking time she got on a day.

She let her eyes wander the ceiling, trying to figure out how she was going to get out of there. There had to be some way to get past the magical barrier, other than somehow magically evolving powers of her own. Yesterday she had gone through the more mechanical motions, ranging from leaning and pushing against the obstacle to throwing several objects – and one surprised pixie – through it. The conclusion from that one had been that anything that was not Rhianwen could pass. Bloody brilliant.

If she had an ounce of brain in her skull she ought to grab Lenore and threaten to pluck those gauzy wings unless she was set free. Which would be a suitable technique if she hadn't proven time and again that she was a big softie when it came to the pixies. They just looked so innocent and sweet, if they weren't busy practicing pyromaniacs. She should know better!

Movement in the corner of her eye caused her to slightly incline her head to the side, trying not to squish one of the younger pixies that had nestled herself in the dark red curls that had previously smelled of a cheap perfume and now had the bouquet of not so smelly sewer. Great, the amazing elf prince was already up and at'em, with long strides that would have seemed very fluent if it hadn't been for the way his back was as stiff as an iron pole. Apparently her presence here would be serving as the proverbial stick in the arse for his royal paleness.

Their eyes locked for a moment, causing her to freeze up. If possible he seemed even less pleased than the day before, his scowl darker than the water that sloshed by lazily. She'd picked a place to crash in the only place where he wouldn't be able to see her when he was in what looked like his sleeping place, securely tucked away under a round alcove, while she was sleeping on a small maintenance pathway next to the smelly water. The pixies had opted for keeping her company instead of choosing the more comfortable sleeping solution the prince would have offered them. Or perhaps they too had picked up on the hostility lingering in the ear.

Slow shuffles came closer to the corner and her breath hitched as the troll came into view, moving slowly as if he didn't want to cause her any alarm. He looked down at her, and Rhianwen had to remind herself that breathing was a necessary part of actually staying alive. His one eye examined her, gauging her and the sleeping pixies. There was no immediate hostility coming from the troll, but then again, she never had had much experience with decoding body language coming from something that was taller than a gorilla.

With a surprising delicate touch the troll bent over, hooking a single finger so that one of the pixies ended up draped around him. Wink – she thought that was his name, and she assumed he was in fact a he – gently placed the sleeping pixie on his shoulder, before bending over for the next one. He worked his way up from her legs until she could raise herself up. Lenore had woken from Rhianwen's stirrings and was now working on getting the others awake as well.

"Thank you…" Rhianwen finally uttered, her voice trailing as she realized she didn't even know if the troll understood her or not. Even now his one eye flickered away from her as if she had disappeared from his view, causing him to sharply inhale air so he could find her again. "I don't suppose you're willing to help me break out from here, are you?" she added, half as a joke.

Wink snorted, blowing her hair away from her face. "I'll take that as a maybe." She replied, trying very hard not to breathe in secondhand troll breath. She stood up, the last two pixies falling out of her hair and flying off with a few muttered curses. Stretching backwards she looked up at the manhole that was one of the barely adequate sources of lighting in the underground chamber. She could hear cars rushing by if she really strained herself. "Does have me wondering who his interior designer was…" she said more to herself than anyone else.

Looking around she could discern no more than what she had seen the previous evening. By far the most interesting thing in the room – for how far she was concerned – was the elaborate potion set the prince had in his possession. Ignoring the idea that maybe she could slip him a potent sleeping potion she strolled towards the middle of the room, Wink and Lenore observing her as she did so. Biting her lip she glanced towards the troll. "Say… does high royal snarkiness has a bathroom of sorts. It's kind of an urgent matter." She said, clenching her legs together.

By the widening of Wink's eye she could see that he caught on rather quickly. She'd have to be careful, since it could mean he'd be quick to figure out any other plans she may have as well. If a girl couldn't even hope to trick a troll in this world anymore, what hope did she really have? The tall creature seemed to hesitate for a moment, torn between letting a mortal use Nuada's bathroom and Nuada coming back to an 'accident' in his personal space. Deciding the latter would make the elf's mood worse Wink gestured to a well-hidden door in the wall.

Rhianwen shuffled towards it, constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure the prince wouldn't jump out from the shadows. It would be something for him to scare her out of her skin after all.  
The bathroom itself – if one could call it that – was about as Spartan as one could get. The thing that surprised her was that there was actually a bath present in the room, though a mirror was apparently too much of a luxury. The cold stone seat nearly froze her lower body parts clean off, but it was still a better option than behaving like some pet that had to be housebroken. Getting back out of the bathroom she was accosted by what seemed to be a small swarm of pixies.

"Lenore, what are you- gah, stop that!" The pixies were intent of getting her out of her clothes, and didn't mind using every underhanded trick they had to their disposal. Before she had managed to protest once more they had already loosened her black skirt, pinching her thighs to get her to jump up in surprise. Shoes and skirt soon were discarded, her once white shirt quickly following.

Resisting the urge to cover herself up Rhianwen placed her hands on her hips, glaring at Lenore and the other pixies who were getting ready for a second round of attack. "Explain yourselves, at once." She commanded, raising a finger to show how serious she was.

Her main caretaker flew towards her, wings fluttering furiously as she swayed back and forth in the air. "Your tattoos make it so difficult for Mister Wink to see you, he complained about it to us. Since you'll be staying with Prince Nuada for the time being, we thought it would be most courteous if you were to be more visible for them."

Folding her arms the redhead looked around the room, eyebrows raised. "And since when am I concerned with _his_ comfort?" There was no doubt about who she meant. Her body language told everyone she would rather spend the time with Wink than the man who clearly loathed her.

Lenore scrunched her tiny nose, before wearing an impish grin. "You don't really have a choice in the matter, do you?"

|Nuada|

Inhaling deeply Nuada decided that training today would have to limit itself to what he had done in the past few hours. He would have been able to concentrate better if the nagging thought he would be welcomed into his chamber with the view of a mortal hadn't been there. Every single time he remembered how the pixies had tricked him his hands almost started to shake. Almost. He had not spent millennia honing himself to now succumb to the tricks of the little ones.

And yet there that infuriating woman was. The Unbending One. He allowed himself to violently exhale as he thought of how she was polluting his living space. He should have been quicker and just stabbed her when he had been unbound by a promise. Flexing his fingers he returned, entertaining the idea of taking Wink with him to the Troll Market and leave the human to her own devices. At least she had shown some initiative in getting out on her own, though he suspected he should be aware of tossed around pixies for the time being.

As he came closer he could hear the very distinct sound of screaming. It was so fierce and hellish he thought a banshee had come to pay their respects to him, though rounding the corner he found only Wink waiting for him, a very guilty look playing around on his features.  
"What is the matter, my friend? Has our… guest been playing tricks on you?" Nuada inquired, not seeing the wretch anywhere at the moment.

Wink looked back for a moment. "Well, the thing is…" he started, before the bathroom door banged open, several pixies streaming out of it in a hurry. Nuada's unbound hair fluttered as several of the winged ones zoomed past, shouting something about quickly escaping.

"You little… little moths!" the woman screamed, having the air of a drenched cat. "I am this close to hanging around flypaper everywhere in my apartment and we'll see how you like that!" Three of the pixies hung above her, uttering soothing words while the woman seemed to seriously consider jumping in an attempt to catch them. "Common courtesy may be being visible, but it is NOT dumping me in freezing cold water, Cleo!"

Ah, so that was what had been happening in his absence. The human was now clearly visible, without the constant flickering that had made it so tiring to keep an eye on her. Green eyes, clear as glass, landed on him and her mouth immediately took on that specific stance she seemed to wear whenever he was visible. "I don't suppose you'll be any help either." She said, barely loud enough for him to hear her.

The only ideas he had about helping her involved blood or other nastiness, and his promise did not allow him to act on those. Instead he had to content himself with a scowl and the hope that perhaps he could scare her into a cardiac arrest. He watched as she tossed her shoes in the corner she had claimed for herself for the time being before she bent over to pick up her cellphone. He looked at Wink, who shrugged before telling Nuada she hadn't phoned anyone yet.

"I am so going to regret this." she said out loud before pressing a finger to her lips as if Nuada had been singing the Bethmoora anthem as loud as he could. Before he could be tempted to reply to her she started talking into the device. "Hi mom… yeah no I'm actually calling… would you… no seriously… I'm trying to…"  
With every time she tried to start a sentence Nuada could almost see her growing redder. Finally she snapped. "I don't care what you cured miss Parkin off, I'm trapped in the sewers!" she shouted into the phone. A few seconds after that is was quiet, her chest rising with deep breaths. "Look, things got complicated and I'd really appreciate it if you would get me."

Her eyes flickered to Nuada and Wink, before she settled on the other fae in the room. "No, it doesn't have anything to do with me seeing pixies. We've been over this, remember?" She turned her back to Nuada, red hair gleaming in the faint candle light. He got a sour taste in his mouth as he heard the lie. "No really mom… no, I don't want a new appointment with him." She ran a hand through her hair, glancing right and left. "Look… it was just an early April fool's joke, so don't sweat it. Too bad I couldn't prank you."

She snapped the phone shut so fast Nuada almost expected it to break. When she turned around she looked to be furious, grabbing the phone with two hands. "What good is this thing if I can't even get help?" she shouted, exasperation coloring her voice so heavily the pixies retreated. "Piece of fucking junk!"

She threw the contraption in an arc towards the opposing wall, shattering it as she did so. Several pieces fell in the water, casting ripples throughout it. Nuada raised an eyebrow as she threw her head in her neck and let out another scream. She had a set of lungs that would make a banshee proud, with the temper to boot. With a volatile temper like that he was surprised someone hadn't decided she was too much trouble and get it over with already.

He took a seat on the steps, pulling out one of his best daggers and a polishing stone. Weapon maintenance was as important as daily training if he had any hope of reclaiming the crown pieces. Near him the human had turned around, throwing a tantrum like a child, pounding her fists against the invisible barrier. He had chosen his spot deliberately, to show he wasn't afraid to be near her. So far she seemed to be unaware of him even being on the same planet as she kept screaming profanities directed at seemingly every fae being she had ever heard of. Wink took a seat near the warmth of the improvised forget they had, his one eye fixed on the female in a way that had too much empathy for Nuada's liking.

Wink had always had a soft spot for humans, or rather, a dislike for killing anything that lived. His kind heart hadn't stopped him from aiding Nuada, but sometimes the troll had dared to contradict Nuada's decisions. And if Wink could help it, he would obscure himself from human vision in any way he could. He called it 'avoiding heated tempers'. It just meant humans tended to get violent every time they didn't get their way, like the one in his vicinity was just doing.

He sensed more than heard her dropping against the barrier, worn out from her emotional outburst. He glanced sideways to be sure she wouldn't try to direct her obvious violent streak towards him, but she seemed to be placated, pressing her hands against her eyes. "I didn't want any of this, you know?" the human said out loud.

Nuada tensed, hearing her say something that was directly aimed at him. She continued, clearly not caring about whether he wished to listen to her or not. "I can't help it if this kind of thing just keeps happening to me. And trust me, if I had never been able to see any of you I probably would have been a happier person. But I just had to get stuck here." A shaky sigh as she continued. "If it wasn't for those shadows you would have never seen me, so you can blame them if you want to be angry at someone."

Her face turned, looking at him directly. Nuada returned the glance, not wanting to back down from this kind of challenge. Her face was serious, drained of color for the time being. "I just hope you know I'm not lying when I say I never intended to be here."

That 'here' carried so many meanings layered in and onto each other. He could read into the meaning of that word, here, this moment, this place, this life. He returned his attention to the soothing view of his dagger. "I believe you, mortal. And it was never my intention to keep you here."

She chuckled, weary with the situation. "I actually did pick up on that one." He kept his attention to his dagger, chastising himself for actually answering her. "You're stuck with me for now, prince. Let's try not to kill each other while it lasts."

* * *

Moon's note : Yay, another chapter ^^ Ugh, uni has started again, leaving me with very little time to write, so I do apologize for that.

CrazyNorwegian : I feel so bad since you were happy about my quick updates just at the moment I actually started to get obligations in my life again. So yes, sorry about that. If I ever stray from a correct portrayal with Nuada, feel free to virtually kick me.

Charmcaster5 : Another chapter, so yay, party. From now on things can only improve between the two. At least as far as I have it planned out, which usually doesn't mean much.


	5. The Bright Idea

|The Sewers|

Just when Rhianwen started to feel some hunger pangs a bunch of pixies flew inside the room, carrying apples in a cloth suspended between them. She took one from the pile, hesitating before she took a first bite. Things between her and the prince were pretty tense, but…

"Catch." She said, throwing a bright red one at him. He caught it without words, glancing between her and the offered fruit with eyes that betrayed nothing. "Don't worry, I didn't poison it." She added, stopping herself from laughing hysterically at the notion.  
When the elf laid the apple next to him she shrugged, starting to eat her own apple. If he didn't want to play nice that would be his problem. For now they were stuck with each other, and even if she didn't know why he was so upset with her, she still felt like she had the most reason to be angry. After all, she had never decided she wanted to set camp up here.

"Lenore." She started, licking some of the tart juice from her fingers. "How long are you planning on keeping me in here?" She hadn't forgiven them yet about dumping her in the freezing water the prince seemed to use for bathing. "I'd like to see the sun again, before I die here."

The pixie fluttered back and forth, hands on her back as she seemed to be thinking this question over. "I don't know, Pip is running this show." She finally admitted, settling down near a big apple. Rhianwen decided not to ask if they had bothered to pay for it or not. Pixies had a very broad concept of paying someone, including teaching them valuable 'life lessons'. "But please don't worry, I'm sure he'll hurry."

Rhianwen cast another look at the elf that was sitting on the stairs near her. The apple was still untouched, his work on his dagger going on without any hitch. The man looked menacing, especially with the scars that trailed his face, though the one line running across his nose seemed too regular to have been received in battle. She continued to study him, even after he looked up and stared her straight in the eye.

She could see by the way his jaw worked he was probably dying to ask the elven equivalent of 'do I have something on my face', while his stoicism forbade him from actually asking the question. She still didn't like him, but he was the only non-pixie she could have a conversation with while she was stuck here so he would have to do. "So… what kind of elf are you?" she decided to ask.

More silence. Just lovely. "Then don't answer. I'm just trying to be polite, something which obviously is above your conversational skills." This comment earned her a glare, though he still seemed to have a proper check on his tongue for now. "Guess I won't be calling you prince Charming for now. I'd sooner take my chances with a dragon the way things are going."

This brought a sort of crooked smile on his face, though clearly not for the reason Rhianwen found things funny. She had never encountered a dragon before… but those surely didn't exist, did they?  
She decided against asking, mostly because she would never get an answer out of him. She finished her apple, putting the core next to her. The pixies were all busily eating, though they did mumble about missing milk with their food.

"You all do realize you can't keep me alive with just apples, do you?" she asked the pixies. The little ones shared some glances, though it was impossible to say what they thought about the statement. "Humans need other things besides fruit to stay healthy."

This caused a small huff from the elf prince, hardly audible. Rhianwen rolled her eyes, because if that was going to be the extent of her communication around here she might truly go barking mad. Things were a lot easier when she could just pretend she was not seeing anything, but she didn't have that luxury down here. She got up, trying to see what she could salvage of her now broken cellphone. She shouldn't have had that tantrum because maybe she could have called an alarm number or something that would come and get her.

And maybe Nuada would have killed any human who set foot in his lair, since he wasn't the most hospitable around. The realization the only thing keeping her safe was his honor wasn't exactly comforting. Even at a first glance she could see it was impossible to repair the thing, since the battery had fallen into the water as well. And who could she call, who wouldn't think she was a lunatic camping out in the sewers?

More pixies came flying in, carrying clothes, dropping the garments in a pile before they set to eating the apples as well. She walked over, vaguely happy they had taken the clothes from her own apartment. Nuada seemed less pleased with the development since it reeked of getting domestic in his own personal living space. The first thing she did was put on some wool socks to fight of the chill in the room. That was when she discovered the pack of cards one of the pixies had brought her. At least there was something to keep her occupied.

Ten minutes later she was attempting to play canasta with Mr. Wink, though the attempt proved to be largely unfruitful. Partly because the cards were too small for him to properly hold and partly since she suspected he was confusing the rules with an elf card game. When she looked back to her own cards again after helping him out she found she was holding an entire hand of heart aces.  
"Okay, who's the funny pants who thinks they're being charming?" she demanded to know, waving her collection of cards around. "We're trying to play a serious game here."

All the while she attempted to not continue staring at Nuada, even though the two of them constantly looked at each other and caught each other doing it. It reminded her of a cat and a dog who couldn't get close to the other but still needed to keep an eye in check. As her cards were transformed to their usual state – a dreadful hand, but at least it was the correct one – she once again crossed eyes with the prince.

She attempted a thin smile to disarm him, which had about as much effect as when she would have tried to take down Wink with a toothpick. "Is he always like this?" she asked Wink, reshuffling the cards.

The troll gave a grunt that could be yes or no depending on who was listening, before saying something in what sounded like the gibberish she'd heard Nuada speak the day before, though she couldn't be sure. Cleo, one of the younger pixies, translated for her. "Prince Nuada hates humans in general, it's nothing personal."

The redhead let out a violent snort at that remark. "I feel so much better it's not because of myself he has decided to hate me. That would have been really small-minded of me." She raised her voice to make sure he could hear her. "Next time I'm reborn I'll make sure to fill out the questionnaire to say I don't want to be born as a human. Since, you know, we all get to make that choice."

Amber eyes glowered from the other side of the room, leading her to swallow. Perhaps she would do better to overthink the things coming from her mouth. "I still think it's ridiculous." She told Wink, unaware of how good Nuada's hearing actually was. "It's not my fault I was born a human. And it's not like I've been going out of my way hurting fae. More like I've been going out of my way to get away from it all."

"How very chivalrous of you." Nuada spoke, standing up. "Do you expect us to commend your behavior?"

Rhianwen dealt the cards, keeping her face as straight as she could. "I don't know, do you expect me to commend you on your hospitality?"

He approached them, lithe as a tiger on the prowl. She looked back at him, forcing her gaze to remain steady despite her heart rate going so high she could feel the thumping in her chest. "You are a human, a scourge on this beautiful earth and I will destroy all of you."

Rhianwen showed a wry smile. "I fail to be impressed by someone who thinks being holed up in the sewers is going to amount to much." She noticed how Wink and the other pixies decided to get away from the upcoming fight. "Remind me why I should feel friendship or awe for the fae?"

"We are better than you. Even the most vile and lowly of our kind is better than the noblest human you could point out to me." Nuada replied, his dark lip enunciating every word.

Rhianwen took a step closer to him. "How would you know anything about humans if you're locked away from the world. I refuse to take knowledge from someone who doesn't set a foot outside when he is fully capable of doing so!"

He stepped closer as well, looking down on her. They were standing as close to one another as they could without actually touching, she on the tips of her toes to lessen the difference in height. "I know all I need to know about your kind!" he shouted out, losing his composure.

"You don't know anything about me!" she yelled back at him, taking deep breaths to keep from toppling over. "If there's one of us who should be pissed, it's me. I don't remember trying to stab you for saying hello."

"You are human, therefore it is my right to-"

"Oh, shove it! Me being a human is no reason to-"

"There is no reason I should-"

"Maybe if you got that stubborn head of yours-"

"I loathe you!"

"I hate you!"

"Despise you with all I can muster!"

"Detest you with every fiber of my being!"

They were interrupted by a new voice interjecting in the argument. "It's nice to see you're both getting along so well, almost like someone cast a love spell."

The arguers both turned their gaze to the owner of the new voice, Nuada's cheeks colored a slight bronze from the exertion of yelling at a human, not to mention the shame of having lost his carefully constructed composure. Rhianwen's reaction was slightly more elated, though the way her hair stuck up suggested her own kind of inner turmoil. "Pipsqueak!"

"Lil Red!" the new arrival exclaimed with seemingly as much cheer as Rhianwen. "Though you ain't looking so little anymore. Can you still even pass through the door?"

Rhianwen groaned, the frustrated elf prince completely gone from her mind at the moment. "Please Pip, I never was able to pass through a pixie door. More importantly, why did you decide to come visit me? Are you going to tell your little subjects to let me leave? Is that it?"

Pip shook his head, holding up a finger to ask her to hold that thought for the moment before he flew to prince Nuada. This reaffirmed her attention for the insulted man, who narrowed his eyes at her. Both of them were daring the other to say something more, continue the argument. Pip started to speak some gibberish, though Rhianwen judged from the tone and movements he was thanking Nuada for taking care of her.

She folded her arms over one another. Everybody clearly knew Nuada didn't like mortals, so why had they insisted on locking her up in the same room as him? She sent another glare at the two conversing fae, before sitting down next to the pile of apples. "Don't look at me like that, Wink."

The troll was giving her the kind of look only disappointed mothers should be capable off. She rolled her eyes in reply, choosing an apple. She threw it at the troll, who caught it with his metal hand. "Look, it's not my fault, okay? And I'm not going to apologize."

Wink snorted, eating half of the apple in one bite. Then he growled something else, intonation so overdone she had no choice but to understand him.

"Who cares if I shouldn't have provoked him? For the record, I didn't choose to be here." The two royal fae were now looking at her, prompting the woman into shrugging. "As if you two never talked to a troll before."

Pip buzzed over to her side, golden flecks of dust trailing behind him. "Look Lil Red, we have time to talk now." He announced, taking a seat on one of the apples.

She chewed her mouthful of apple thoroughly, peering down at the pixie. "Lenore did give the impression that you were somehow the cause of all this." She picked off a small piece of the fruit, handing it to her old friend. "So, give me the skinny. How much am I going to hate you when you're done explaining?"

A tiny frown formed underneath the red mop of hair, Pip's blue facial tattoos swirling with the movement. "I was hoping hate would be an emotion too strong for the situation, though of course you would feel no elation. If Lenore would be so kind as to explain to the prince, in English it's hard to convince."

Lenore flew over towards Nuada, who had taken a seat close enough to be able to listen. Pip coughed once, searching for words and how to proceed with the situation. "Well, let's start with my own situation at the time. You know I'm the next in throne for the pixie realm, right?" He waited until Rhianwen nodded, Nuada also inclining his head that he understood after having hear Lenore's translation.

"Well, being the prince I obviously sought some way of bettering circumstances for our people. It just so happened I had an eye on a young lady back then, who absolutely adored children. And we fae aren't exactly the quickest to reproduce, so of course I had the brilliant idea of fixing that."

Rhianwen scrunched her nose. "So you what, went out in search of a fertility potion?"

Pip shook his head. "No, no, I went to look for something much more permanent and possible beneficial to all fae. Chicks dig it when a guy is all for the betterment of everyone else, you know. So, after asking around a little bit and digging around in libraries, I found one thing which was very suitable to our purposes. You know Lady Luck?"

He was met by a laugh as Rhianwen considered that. "You're talking to one of the most unlucky people on this entire planet. I may know her, but she sure as hell doesn't know me." When she was finished with her sniggering she motioned for Pip to continue.

"Well, as luck would have it – pun intended – Lady Fortuna possesses an orb that rules child luck. As in, childbirth and probability a child would be born alive." Nuada leant his head on a fist, observing Pip as he asked something. Rhianwen could guess the gist of it. Had he been foolish enough to steal from a god?

"And well, yes, gods do exist." Pip clarified to Rhianwen before he continued. "As do their artefacts. This was extremely beneficial to me, since the Sphere was exactly what I needed to win the heart of my lady. Getting inside her lair was ridiculously easy, since she never expected a pixie would try to get inside. And even if we did, surely we would be after something else that would enhance our probability to get away with pranks, so childbirth was the last thing she thought I would be after."

Rhianwen stopped him there, trying to keep up with the story. "So you robbed a goddess because you wanted to impress a girl?"

"I never claimed it was a smart idea." Pip told her, taking a quick bite of apple. "Anyway it worked since now she's my wife. Can we continue with the story?"

Rhianwen motioned a hand to indicate he was free to continue. From his place Nuada observed the royal pixie with slightly raised eyebrows. This was exactly the kind of story you could entertain a warrior with. "Of course she wasn't happy when she found out I stole the orb. It didn't exactly take her long to find out either, since she's the one who controls those shadows. So, they were after me and it's a miracle I managed to make it out of her realm without being caught which led me to the next problem.  
I was stuck in the human world, carrying a sphere just a bit smaller than myself. The thing was bloody slippery too, as if it was trying to get away on its own. The shadows were tailing me, and we all know they can be pretty fast when they want to be. So I had the genius idea of hiding the Sphere in the last place they expected."

Rhianwen nodded, urging him to go on. She still didn't see where the story was going. "I entered a small house just a while from the city. The last place people will think you hid an important artefact that has to do with babies would be a crib, at least that's what I thought. So I made my way into the baby room and hid the Sphere beneath a pillow. Then I ran away, since the shadows were busy tailing a pixie and they didn't exactly have an interest in a human kid."

Rhianwen had a feeling she wouldn't like what was coming next. "You're not telling me…"

Pip shrugged, not feeling too comfortable about everything either. "How was I supposed to know you were in that phase where you stuck everything in your mouth?"

* * *

DeLacus : thanks for the compliment, though I'm sure I still have lots to improve on. I'll try not to let anyone down!


End file.
